Justice Mazhar sworn in as Supreme Court judge

The newly elevated judge of the Sindh High Court Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar took oath as the judge of the Supreme Court on Monday.

"Hon’ble Mr. Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Chief Justice of Pakistan administered the oath of office to Hon’ble Mr. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar Judge of Sindh High Court as Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan today i.e. 16.08.2021 at Supreme Court of Pakistan, Islamabad, in a simple and dignified ceremony," read a statement issued by the apex court.

"Hon’ble Judges of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Attorney General for Pakistan, senior lawyers, Law Officers and officers of Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan attended the ceremony," it added.

The communique further stated, "Registrar Supreme Court of Pakistan conducted the proceedings of oath taking ceremony. Officers and staff of the Supreme Court of Pakistan were also present on the occasion."

Read Crisis as SHC CJ refuses elevation to apex court

On Friday, Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointment had approved Justice Mazhar's elevation by a majority vote.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) member Raja Pervez Ashraf endorsed the nomination, while two Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers opposed it and supported the stance of the apex regulatory body of lawyers, the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), on the matter.

It is learnt that four lawmakers belonging to the government supported the nomination while Ashraf also endorsed his appointment as a top court judge.

However, PML-N lawmakers Azam Nazeer Tarar and Rana Sanaullah opposed the nomination and supported the bar's stance against the elevation of judges to the Supreme Court in violation of the seniority principle.

Sources earlier told The Express Tribune that Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice (retd) Dost Muhammad Khan and PBC representative Akhtar Hussain had opposed the nomination of Justice Mazhar to the apex court on several grounds.